Faculty, staff accomplishments

December 5, 2016

Jocelyn Benson director of the Levin Center at Wayne Law and CEO of the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, will serve as the 2017 Joyce Ivy Foundation Leader of the Year. Benson was chosen for the honor because she exemplifies the values of the Joyce Ivy Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the academic advancement of talented female high school students from the Midwest. Benson will be honored at the 12th Annual Joyce Ivy Foundation Summer Scholars Gala Dinner in May.

November 29, 2016

Peter Henning led a panel discussion on Professional Responsibility Challenges Facing Lawyers Today at the State Bar of Michigan Insurance & Indemnity Law Section Annual Holiday Reception & Educational Program.

November 14, 2016

Robert Sedler presented "Our 18th Century Constitution, Congress, the President, and Our Two Party Political System" to Wayne State University's Society of Active Retirees (SOAR).

November 12, 2016

Blanche Cook presented a day-long implicit bias workshop for student athletes in the Pac-12 collegiate athletic conference. The conference was part of a partnership between the Pac-12 and the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality, founded by Stephen Ross, '65.

November 11, 2016

Eliza Perez-Ollin was a panelist at the National Legal Aid & Defender Association Annual Conference in Indianapolis. Her panel was "Achieving 100% Access to Justice Ethically: Professional Responsibility in New Service Delivery Models."

November 4, 2016

Noah Hall moderated a panel discussion about the Flint water crisis for the 16th annual Great Lakes Water Conference at the University of Toledo College of Law.

November 1, 2016

Paul Dubinsky co-taught a class on international dispute resolution at Windsor University Law School in Ontario.

October 31, 2016

Julia Qin lectured on "Chinese State-Owned Enterprises in the Realm of WTO Subsidy Law," at Columbia University Law School's Trade Law Seminar.

October 29, 2016

Paul Dubinsky was elected to a third term as vice president of the American Branch of the International Law Association.

October 28, 2016

Brad Roth presented "International Law and the Recognition of Governments" at the International Law Association American Branch Annual Meeting in New York.

October 20, 2016

Nick Schroeck moderated a community environmental health chat titled, "Getting the Lead Out: Detroit Perspectives." It was sponsored by The Center for Urban Responses to Environmental Stressors (CURES).

October 19, 2016

Marilyn Kelly spoke to the Birmingham Unitarian Church Alliance about the presidential election. She discussed the likely effect that the election of each candidate would have on the United States Supreme Court and the state of the law on certain key issues in the next four years and beyond.

October 14, 2016

Brad Roth presented "The Independence of Kosovo and Self-Determination in International Law" at the Provost's Global Forum on the Nation, the State, and the Global Redefinition of Self-Determination at the University of Iowa.

John Rothchild served as a panelist for an American Bar Association-sponsored webinar entitled, "The Internet of Things: Key Legal Considerations."

October 6, 2016

Brad Roth presented "Comparing U.S. and PRC Approaches to Self-Determination Questions" at the University of Pennsylvania, Center for the Study of Contemporary China 2016 Annual Conference: The U.S., China, and International Law.

October 1, 2016

Virginia Thomas wrote a column, "Of plain English and plain meaning," for the October Michigan Bar Journal. Read the full column here.

October 1, 2016

Julia Qin presented "When is the price right? - Government Ownership of Natural Resources and Market Benchmarks in WTO Subsidy Law," at the American Society of International Law, International Economic Law Interest Group's biennial conference in Washington, D.C.

September 29, 2016

Carl Levin was honored for his "uncompromising dedication to the nation's defense and its men and women in uniform." Defense Secretary Ash Carter also dedicated the Levin-Warner Legislative Affairs Suite in the Pentagon. Levin, Michigan's longest-serving senator, served in the Senate for 36 years, including as a member and nine-year chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

September 27, 2016

Elise Bean presented "Congressional Oversight" at the Congressional Operations Seminar for Federal Agency Personnel, sponsored by the Government Affairs Institute at Georgetown University.

September 21, 2016

Paul Dubinsky presented "Federalism and Private International Law Treaties: Where Does the U.S. Go From Here?" at the Windsor University Law School faculty seminar.

September 20, 2016

Stephen Calkins participated on a panel of experts at Georgetown Law's 10th Global Antitrust Enforcement Symposium in Washington, D.C. His panel discussed, "Hot Topics in U.S. Enforcement and Policy."

Robert Sedler presented "The Supreme Court and the American Constitutional System" for the Institute of Retired Professionals at Beth Shalom Synagogue in Oak Park.

September 16, 2016

Julia Qin served on a panel about "Film and Culture between China and the U.S." at a conference on the Art of International Law at Case Western School of Law in Cleveland.

September 14, 2016

Peter Hammer participated in Michigan State University's Institute for Public Policy and Social Research (IPPSR) annual forum series. He was part of a panel of experts discussing the practice of emergency financial managers in Michigan.

September 1, 2016

Jan Bissett wrote, "Taxing Research: Finding the Starting Point for Your Tax Questions" for the September Michigan Bar Journal. Read the full article here.

August 24, 2016

Virginia Thomas co-presented a paper at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 82nd World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The paper, "Bringing Law to the Community: Facilitating Access to Justice in Metropolitan Detroit," may be accessed here. Also presenting were Public Services Librarians Beth Applebaum, Jan Bissett, Michelle LaLonde and Michael Samson.

August 24, 2016

Beth Applebaum co-presented a paper at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 82nd World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The paper, "Bringing Law to the Community: Facilitating Access to Justice in Metropolitan Detroit," may be accessed here. Also presenting were Library Director Virginia Thomas and Public Services Librarians Jan Bissett, Michelle LaLonde and Michael Samson.

August 24, 2016

Jan Bissett co-presented a paper at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 82nd World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The paper, "Bringing Law to the Community: Facilitating Access to Justice in Metropolitan Detroit," may be accessed here. Also presenting were Library Director Virginia Thomas and Public Services Librarians Beth Applebaum, Michelle LaLonde and Michael Samson.

August 24, 2016

Michelle LaLonde co-presented a paper at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 82nd World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The paper, "Bringing Law to the Community: Facilitating Access to Justice in Metropolitan Detroit," may be accessed here. Also presenting were Library Director Virginia Thomas and Public Services Librarians Beth Applebaum, Jan Bissett and Michael Samson.

August 24, 2016

Michael Samson co-presented a paper at the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions 82nd World Library and Information Congress in Columbus, Ohio. The paper, "Bringing Law to the Community: Facilitating Access to Justice in Metropolitan Detroit," may be accessed here. Also presenting were Library Director Virginia Thomas and Public Services Librarians Beth Applebaum, Jan Bissett and Michelle LaLonde.

August 23, 2016

Brad Roth is one of three American Branch representatives to the International Law Association's Committee on Recognition/Non-Recognition of States and Governments. He recently gave the commentary on the committee's report on Recognition of Governments at the association's 2016 Biennial Meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa. Roth authored one of the leading books on the subject - Governmental Illegitimacy in International Law (Oxford University Press, 1999), which won the 1999 Certificate of Merit from the American Society of International Law as "best work in a specialized area."

August 17, 2016

Peter Henning presented "Trial Strategies and Common Defenses in Corruption Cases: A Discussion" at a National Attorneys General Training & Research Institute conference in Colorado.

August 5, 2016

Laura Bartell is being honored with the Editors' Prize for best article published in the American Bankruptcy Law Journal in 2015. She will accept the award at the National Conference of Bankruptcy Judges annual meeting in October in San Francisco.

July 16, 2016

Peter Hammer spoke at the Make Government Work Forum #4 which was sponsored by Southeast Michigan Jobs with Justice/Unity Campaign & UAW Region 1A Retired Workers Council.

June 28, 2016

Stephen Calkins presented a primer on antitrust law and pleading standards under Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly at the Federal Bar Association Eastern District of Michigan Chapter's antitrust committee lunch and learn.

June 23, 2016

Nick Schroeck spoke on a panel at the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Colloquium of the Academy of Environmental Law in Oslo, Norway. His topic was, "Multijurisdictional response to Lake Erie Algae: International, Federal, State and Provincial legal strategies for combating nutrient pollution in the Great Lakes."

June 16, 2016

Julia Qin presented "China GOES (Article 21.5): Time to Clarify the Standard for Price Suppression and Price Depression in AD/CVD Investigations," at a conference on WTO Case Law Series at European University Institute in Florence, Italy.

June 15, 2016

Brad Roth taught a condensed course on public international law as visiting professor of law at National Taiwan University (NTU) in Taipei. He also spoke at two public events on Taiwan's status in the international legal order, including an NTU symposium on the recent book by New York Law School Professor Lung-chu Chen, The U.S.-Taiwan-China Relationship in International Law and Policy (Oxford University Press, 2016). Roth had been a commentator at a similar symposium on Chen's book at New York Law School in April.

June 14, 2016

Kathy Fox was installed as a director on the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association's board, which is responsible for the strategic leadership of the professional association. She will serve a three-year term.

June 13, 2016

Kirsten Carlson was selected to receive Wayne State University Academy of Scholars' Junior Faculty Award for the 2016-17 academic year. This award is given annually to a select number of junior faculty members who have a significant record of publications or creative achievement and who have achieved national or international recognition very early in their careers.

June 2, 2016

Jocelyn Benson was selected by Crain's Detroit Business as one of the Most Influential Women in Michigan for 2016. Read more here.

June 2, 2016

Eric Zacks presented his article, "The Restatement (Second) of Contracts § 211: Unfulfilled Expectations and the Future of Modern Standardized Consumer Contracts," at the Law and Society Association Annual Meeting in New Orleans. This article was published in the William & Mary Business Law Review. Click here to read it.

May 23, 2016

Carl Levin presented the keynote speech at TaxCOOP, co-sponsored by and presented at the World Bank in Washington, D.C. TaxCOOP is an international nonpartisan conference on tax competition and the weaknesses of the current international tax system. Text of Levin's speech (as prepared prior to delivery).

May 20, 2016

Rachel Settlage moderated a panel on Middle Eastern Communities in Michigan at Michigan State University's 2016 Immigration Law Teachers Workshop.

May 20, 2016

Stephen Calkins presented "Teaching Consumer Law in Ireland" at the University of Houston Law Center's Teaching Consumer Law Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

May 11, 2016

Paul Dubinsky met with President Koen Lenaerts of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg.

May 9, 2016

Paul Dubinsky delivered "Private Law Treaties and Federalism: Can the United States Lead?" as part of the scholar-in-residence program at the London office of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

May 6, 2016

Paul Dubinsky was a U.S. delegate to a meeting of the Executive Council of the International Law Association at the House of Lords in London. He attended in his capacity as Vice-President of the U.S. branch of the ILA.

May 4, 2016

Robert Sedler presented "The Constitution and Marriage Equality" to the Adult Learning Institute, an Elderhostel Project at Oakland Community College in Farmington Hills.

April 29, 2016

Noah Hall presented on critical laws influencing the Great Lakes at Grand Valley State University's Annis Water Resources Institute.

April 27, 2016

Peter Hammer served as master of ceremonies for the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee of Michigan's 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Banquet in Dearborn.

April 27, 2016

Julia Qin presented "Mind the Gap: Navigating between the WTO Agreement and its Accession Protocols," at The WTO@20 Symposium at Harvard Law School.

April 19, 2016

Noah Hall spoke about the Great Lakes region's approach to oil production at an event hosted by The Freshwater Lab, a program of the Institute for the Humanities at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

April 13, 2016

Robert Sedler presented "Our 18th Century Constitution, Congress, the President, and Our Two Party Political System" to the Society of Active Retirees (SOAR).

April 11, 2016

Eric Zacks presented his latest article, "The Restatement (Second) of Contracts §211: Unfulfilled Expectations and the Future of Modern Standardized Consumer Contracts," to the law faculty at Marquette University Law School. The article will be published later this year in the William & Mary Business Law Review.

April 6, 2016

Stephen Calkins will be one of four panelists during The Chair's Showcase at the American Bar Association Section of Antitrust Law Spring Meeting in Washington, D.C. The topic is "Examining the Per Se Rule." Around 2,000 antitrust lawyers, economists and government officials are expected to attend this plenary event.

April 6, 2016

Linda Beale has become a member of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. The Fellows is an honorary organization of attorneys, judges, law faculty, and legal scholars whose public and private careers have demonstrated outstanding dedication to the welfare of their communities and to the highest principles of the legal profession. Membership, which is through a peer nomination and election process, is limited to one third of one percent of lawyers licensed to practice in each jurisdiction.

April 6, 2016

Jonathan Weinberg spoke at the Adult Learning Institute on "The Obama Administration's Actions on Immigration."

April 6, 2016

Susan Cancelosi presented Government Income and Health Programs for the Elderly and Those with Disabilities at the Institute of Continuing Legal Education's program on Basics of Advising Elderly Clients and Those With Disabilities in Plymouth.

April 5, 2016

Nick Schroeck spoke on a panel for the Institute for Journalism & Natural Resources conference "Urban Infrastructure: Water, Energy & Emissions in Detroit." The title of his panel discussion was "Clearing the Air: Industrial Emissions, Human Health and Pending Lawsuits."

April 3, 2016

Marilyn Kelly presented "Has America Fulfilled Its Promise of Equal Justice for All?" at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Petoskey's April 3 service.

March 31, 2016

Blanche Cook was a panelist for the School of Social Work Diversity Lecture on Advancing Racial Justice.

March 23, 2016

Paul Dubinsky presented at a faculty workshop at Hebrew University Law School in Jerusalem where he is a visiting scholar.

March 18, 2016

Blanche Cook presented a talk titled, "The Racialization of the Justice System" at an event sponsored by The Detroit Women's Forum.

March 17, 2016

Peter Hammer presented "150 Years Later: The 13th Amendment - Freedom Comes to Michigan?" as part of the 2016 Winter Speaker Series sponsored by the Escalating Inequality Task Force.

March 17, 2016

Noah Hall was appointed as a special assistant attorney general in Michigan for the Flint water crisis investigation.

March 11, 2016

Carl Levin presented the luncheon keynote address at the Historical Society of Michigan's annual local history conference. His talk was titled, "Reflections on Representing Michigan" and he spoke about his 36 years in the Senate.

March 9, 2016

Carl Levin received the 2016 Wade H. McCree Jr. Award for the Advancement of Social Justice from the Federal Bar Association Eastern District of Michigan Chapter. Levin received the award at a luncheon where he also was keynote speaker.

March 6, 2016

D'lorah Hughes presented at the Externships 8 Conference in Cleveland. She spoke on two panels: "To Site Visit or Not to Site Visit, That is the Question," and "Seminar Design Panel for Externship 8's New Clinicians Series."

March 6, 2016

Ashley Lowe presented at the Externships 8 Conference in Cleveland. She was part of a panel discussion titled, "To Site Visit or Not to Site Visit, That is the Question."

February 25, 2016

Carl Levin was recognized by the Detroit Police Athletic League. They presented him the Dave Bing "Leadership" award for securing a $3 million federal grant for the redevelopment of the historic Tiger Stadium.

February 25, 2016

Ashley Lowe was part of a panel discussion about representing survivors of assault. The event was hosted by the Young Lawyers Section of the State Bar of Michigan.

February 24, 2016

Lance Gable co-edited a special issue of the journal Global Health Governance on the Framework Convention on Global Health.

February 18, 2016

Marilyn Kelly presented "Has America Fulfilled Its Promise of Equal Justice for All?" as part of the 2016 Winter Speaker Series sponsored by the Escalating Inequality Task Force.

February 18, 2016

Eric Zacks had one of his articles cited in a California Supreme Court decision. In Yvanova v. New Century Mortgage Corporation, the court held that a wrongful foreclosure plaintiff had standing to claim that the foreclosing entity's purported authority to order a trustee's sale of the property was based on a void assignment of the note and deed of trust. It was previously unclear when the borrower should have standing to challenge an assignee's rights given that borrowers are not a party to the challenged assignment contracts. The court noted that many other courts accepted that borrowers did have standing to challenge void, as opposed to voidable, mortgage assignments, and cited Zacks' article, Not a Party: Challenging Mortgage Assignments, with respect to his findings on this issue. Zacks' article was published in 2014 in the Saint Louis University Law Journal and was co-authored by Dustin Zacks, a practicing attorney and recognized MERS and foreclosure law expert.

February 5, 2016

Jocelyn Benson participated in a Super Bowl town hall discussion, "Beyond the Game, Tackling Race," which was broadcast on Sirius XM Business Radio powered by The Wharton School, channel 111. This town hall was sponsored by the Ross Initiative for Sports and Equality, created by Stephen Ross, '65, developer, philanthropist and owner of the Miami Dolphins. The broadcast also featured current and former NFL players Harry Carson, Rashad Jennings, Willie Lanier, Justin Tuck and Doug Williams.

February 3, 2016

Brad Roth spoke to the Society of Active Retirees (SOAR) on "Courts, Trials and the Rule of Law."

January 26, 2016

Brad Roth spoke at the Schoolcraft College International Institute Focus Series. His presentation was titled, "How Panic over Immigraion Threatens the Rule of Law."

January 23, 2016

Kerry Kornblatt presented at the Southeastern Legal Writing Conference in Miami. Her talk was titled, "Ask a "Real" Lawyer: How to Create a Productive Dialogue Between Students and Practitioners to Communicate Lessons on Professionalism, Research and Writing Skills, and Career Path."

January 18, 2016

Jocelyn Benson was the keynote speaker at an event to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The event, "MLK: The Fight Against Hate Crimes," took place in East Lansing.

January 17, 2016

Robert Sedler spoke at Temple Emanu-El's "Bagels and Law" as part of its ongoing Sunday Morning Speakers Series.

Advocating for justice, serving the community, revitalizing Detroit and Michigan